JDI IN THE NEWS - 2014

Sexual Abuse Rampant in U.S. Prisons

January 28, 2014
By Glen Ford, Black Agenda Report

A Bureau of Justice Statistics report shows continued high rates of sexual misconduct against inmates in the nation's federal, state and local prisons and jails. However, only a very small proportion of cases lead to prosecutions of prison staff, said Chris Daley, deputy executive director of Just Detention International, a watchdog group. Most sexual abuse victims get no medical care, despite the fact that “the vast majority of facilities have medical folks on staff who, within about a 12-hour period, could easily provide both emergency care and collect evidence needed for prosecution” -- but that rarely happens in U.S. prisons, said Daley.